OLs CHALK UP A DRAW

10/07/03: Paul Newell Price and James Craig grabbed the headlines as the OLCC and Bromley Town drew an excellent match.

Craig, playing in his second match this season, took 5-35 — his first ever five-wicket haul for the club — as Bromley declared on a total of 238 for eight.

Newell Price then agonisingly fell three runs short of a deserved century as the OL reply came to rest at 230-9 following a tense finale.

Craig took just two deliveries to open his account on a hot and sticky morning, producing a superb swinging ball that left umpire John Dykes with little option but to raise the finger.

He then had to wait 10 overs for his next wicket, but his removal of Crowdy for five — bowled off his pads — left the visitors 14-2 in the 11th over as a fine tight spell from Craig and Ed Carter pinned them back early on.

Coming on first change to replace Craig, Jonny Shingles took advantage of the pressure that had been applied by whipping out the other opener for eight.

But the morning session, which up until that point had been totally dominated by the OLs, soon swung in Bromley's favour as Scorer and Askew embarked on a partnership of 69 that only ended when the former dollied a catch to Tom Gillmor off guest star bowler Julian Fitter and was out for 25 on the stroke of lunch.

However this was only brief respite for the hosts as Askew started to open his shoulders and moved ominously towards a century in partnership with Dicker.

Yet having reached 88, he then mistimed a drive off Chris Straw and Paul Newell Price took a fine catch at short extra cover to make it 175-5, and there was a further breakthrough when Dicker followed for 45 — lbw to the irrepressible Craig who had returned for a second spell — reducing Bromley to 206-6.

Scenting some more wickets, Craig upped the pace and bowled both Morris senior and junior to complete his five-for and leave the score on 229-8. Nine more runs were added before the declaration at around 3.30pm.

Disaster struck the OL reply almost instantly as opener David Bibby departed for a duck, and when John Acland-Hood departed for a strangely restrained three off 21 balls it left the hosts in some trouble at 5-2 in the 10th over.

But Dominic Beer, exercising good judgement and caution, then came together with Newell Price and the pair lifted the OLCC past the 100-mark. Indeed the stand reached the a mighty 125 before Beer, after a long vigil of over two hours that lasted 130 balls, looped a catch to slip off a forward defensive.

Newell Price continued to carry the attack and motored on towards a hundred after getting to 50 in 81 deliveries. Yet tragedy struck when he attempted to crash Crowdy for four to reach the landmark only to be caught for 97.

The run chase was still on, although the rate was around seven or eight per over and wickets started to fall at regular intervals.

Next out was Fitter, who ballooned a simple catch and departed for 12, then Shingles followed for three after popping up an easy return catch to Jones.

Gillmor attempted to kick-start the run chase, smashing two big fours in his 11, but advanced down the pitch once too often and was easily stumped with the score on 203 and five overs remaining.

Straw joined Ed Carter at the crease, and the latter opened his shoulders to good effect until holing out for 22, the eighth wicket to fall coming at 208.

Craig and Straw kept the runs coming but a tight single saw Straw run out for seven, and last man (and captain) Graham Carter decided that the draw had become the best option and made sure of it, with Craig reaching 11* as a fine day's cricket ended with the OLCC just short on 230 for nine.

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